Herbalism is a healing art that sees the person in a holistic manner, the mind, the body, the spirit, as one. Lifting one's frame of mind with Aromatherapy or a herbal tea is as important as making a poultice for a boil or rash. It is about bringing balance back in a gentle, nurturing way that limits side-effects.

The WHO recognizes that for most of the world, herbal treatments are used as a necessity and Herblore is a vital tradition.This 9 Lesson Course explains the use of herbs in relation to the mind body and spirit and how to prepare them. Herbalism Final Exam 80% pass rate is needed to obtain Certificate of Completion. Accredited by the World Metaphysical Association.

Ancient Egyptians used hundreds of herbs for healing and rituals. The Ebers Papyrus dates from around 3550 BC. Ancient writing of Hippocrates (lived 460 to 370 BC) and Materia Medica (Science of Healing Drugs) of Pelanius Dioscurides (AD 40 to 90) wrote a compendium of more than 500 plants that remained an authoritative reference into the 17th century.

Ayurvedic (Indian) herbal medicine has the Sushruta Samhita (Sushruta in the 6th century BC) describes 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources, and 57 preparations based on animal sources.

TCM, Traditional Chinese Medicine also has a long history of herblore and practical applications. The Shennong Bencoa Jing, compiled during the Han Dynasty but dating back to a much earlier date, possibly 2700 B.C., lists 365 medicinal plants and their uses.

Medical schools known as Bimaristan began to appear from the 9th century in the medieval Islamic world, and Ibn al-Baitar described more than 1,400 different plants, foods and drugs, with over 300 of which were his own original discoveries, in the 13th century.

The nun Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179) was an authority on medieval herbal medicine and wrote Physica of Plants.

The experimental scientific method was introduced into the field of Materia Medica in the 13th century by the Andalusian, an Arab botanist Abu Al-Abbas al-Nabati, the teacher of Ibn al-Baitar. Al-Nabati introduced empirical techniques in the testing, description and indentification of numerous Materia Medica, and he separated unverified reports from those supported by actual tests and observations. Both Henry the Eighth and Elizabeth the First were avid herbalist, Henry the Eights passed laws (1543) allowing people to continue to practice herbal medicine so the ordinary person would have access to medical care.

The English Physician Enlarged (1653) by Nicholas Culpeper included traditional medicine with astrology, magic and folklore was ridiculed by physicians of his day yet was very popular. The Age of Exploration and the Columbian Exchange introduced new medicinal plants to Europe. The Badianus Manuscript was an illustrated Aztec herbal translated into Latin in the 16th century.

The WHO recognizes that for most of the world, herbal treatments are used as a necessity and Herblore is a vital tradition.